Last Updated on 28/07/2022
Is It Expensive to Get Skis Waxed?
In this guide, we share how much does it cost to get skis waxed in North America and around the world. We also consider whether it is worth the effort to wax your own skis or simply pay to have it done once or twice a season.
On average you can expect the cost to get skis waxed to be between $10 – $30 to get your skis or snowboard waxed in most parts of the world. This involves cleaning your ski base, applying hot wax, scraping the excess wax off, and then polishing it. It doesn’t take an experienced ski service shop very long to do this at all but that is only because they have the equipment, skills, and expertise.
Some parts of the world are cheaper than others but on average $20 seems to be the going rate for a professional scrape, wax and polish. You can wax your own skis but you will need to invest in the equipment and materials first which doesn’t always save that much money in the long run. You can also try other ski wax alternatives that claim to allow you never need to wax your skis again.
Beyond the basic wax, we do recommend you get your skis deburred whenever they need it and there is a whole list of other services you can include if they apply to you.
How Much Does Ski Waxing Cost in North America?
To get your skis waxed in North America you can expect to pay anywhere from $10 – $25 for a basic hot wax and scrape. Most places will charge between $20 – $40 for a debut and wax which conditions the base of your skis to get the most of your rewaxing. You can then pay extra for more detailed servicing like buffing out a scratch or tuning your bindings.
Some states are more expensive than others and in ski resorts with only one or two ski shops you may even have to pay more. Some hotels will offer ski waxing as a service that is worth taking advantage of at the start and end of your trip.
Ski Waxing Service Price Guide
When you get to a ski service shop you will most likely be given a number of options. Many people like the reassurance of getting a full service once a year however if you just want to go skiing as fast as possible then a hot wax when you feel them start to slow is all you need. Here is what a typical menu might look like in a Colorado ski resort:
- Full Tune – $70
- Sharpen, Wax & Glide – $55
- Debur & Wax – $30
- Hot Wax – $20
- Wax – $10
- Wield (per inch) – $10
As you can see, the prices soon start to rise the more advanced the service is
How Much Does It Cost to Get Skis Waxed in Europe?
Prices in Europe are much more volatile than in North America. For example, in France the price to get skis waxed is around €10 – €20, in Switzerland you can expect to pay the equivalent of $30 – $60 for a basic hot wax and polish. However, in Eastern Europe resorts like Borovets, Bulgaria the cost to get skis waxed is as cheap as $5 – $10 USD.
Where Is the Cheapest Place to Get Your Skis Waxed?
We found that Colorado was the cheapest place in North America to get skis waxed with many ski shops charging $10 – $15 for a hot wax and scrape. In Canada, the prices are fairly stable and tend to cost around $28 – $35 in Canadian Dollars. In Europe the further East you go the cheaper it seems to get.
It is worth asking around with locals if you are in a new ski resort as there may be one place that charges way more than the others, and you want to avoid that. Ski lift operators or just chatting with people at ski lifts is a good place to start.
Where Is the Best Place to Get Your Skis Waxed?
Local ski shops are the best places to get your skis waxed as they have done it thousands of times before. Waxing skis isn’t rocket science but there is some skill to getting a good finish and so you will always get the best results from a professional compared to doing it yourself or handing them off to an amateur.
Is It Cheaper to Wax Skis Yourself?
To be absolutely honest with you, waxing your own skis only becomes economical if you ski often and every year. The reason it isn’t necessarily cheaper to wax your own skis is that to buy the stands, brushes, wax, scraper, cloths, and waxing iron, you are probably spending between $100 – $200. New blocks of wax will cost around $20 – $40.
If it costs you say $20 to get your skis waxed once or twice per year then are you really saving that much? When you factor in the time it takes to do it yourself then for many people it doesn’t make economical sense to buy all the gear you need to wax skis yourself.
If you live in an area with mountains and ski lifts and go skiing every other day then it makes sense to get your own waxing iron, brushes, and wax.
How Long Does It Take to Get Skis Waxed?
If you drop your skis off at a ski shop they can use specialist machinery to speed up the process immensely and can have a hot wax done in under 15 minutes. Most ski shops will either tell you to wait while they do it straight away, to come back in 1 hour, to leave them overnight and collect in the morning, or to come back in a few hours.
To do it yourself might take one or two hours depending on how many times you have done it before.
How Much Does It Cost to Wax a Snowboard Vs Skis?
Most ski and snowboard shops will charge exactly the same to wax a snowboard as they would to wax a pair of skis. For a cold wax, this might be as low as $10 in the US and for a hot wax around $20. There is also no cost difference in waxing a snowboard yourself vs waxing your own skis – you still have to buy all the same equipment.
We hope you now have a good idea of how much does it cost to get skis waxed. We aim to keep this updated as prices rise so please let us know if you think we are off on any of these figures.
